Feb. 15, 2008

After stunning the lacrosse world with a nine-game season-ending winning streak that resulted in the program's ninth NCAA Championship last season, Johns Hopkins enters the 2008 season with the bullseye squarely on its back. Unlike two years ago, when the Blue Jays were coming off their undefeated run to the 2005 title, JHU appears much more capable of making a run at a second straight national championship.

With eight starters and nine of the top 10 scorers back from last season's 13-4 team, the Blue Jays are one of several teams entering the season that must be considered a legitimate national title contender. If the Blue Jays heed head coach Dave Pietramala's calling to focus on the process of what made them successful last season - and not the success itself - they might just find themselves in Beantown on Memorial Day weekend. As they proved themselves last season, once there anything can happen.

Midfield
Pietramala is not one for comparisons. Each player in his program has his own place and brings his own talents and personality to the team. That's fine for him, but the rest of the lacrosse world can do what it wants and the conventional question entering the 2008 season is simple: Is the first midfield unit of seniors Paul Rabil and Stephen Peyser and sophomore Michael Kimmel the best group the Blue Jays have had under Pietramala's guidance? Only time will tell, but it sure makes for a great debate.

Rabil returns for his final season as a leading candidate for national player of the year honors after garnering First Team USILA All-America honors for the second straight season a year ago.

A difficult matchup at best and a game-planning nightmare for opposing coaches, Rabil fired home 27 goals and added 26 assists for 53 points a year ago. His adjustment to the constant double-teams he faced made the players around him better and was never more evident than in the national championship game against Duke, when he dropped a one-goal, five-assist masterpiece on the Blue Devils.

The attention paid to Rabil opened things up for Peyser and Kimmel and both took full advantage of their opportunties.

Peyser got hot late in the season and may have been the key part of the puzzle down the stretch. He scored 16 goals and added 10 assists while serving as the team's top faceoff specialist. The ability to use him a little less on faceoffs would only make him more effective as an offensive weapon.

Kimmel quickly emerged as the perfect complement to Rabil and Peyser and totaled 23 goals and seven assists for 30 points as a freshman last season. His flashed his passing ability in an early-season win against Princeton, scored the game-winner in overtime against Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and added a hat trick against Delaware in the NCAA Semifinals. He is a tireless worker and should only continue to improve. As if having the first midfield return intact isn't enough, Pietramala also returns three-quarters of a four-man rotation that comprised the second midfield a year ago. The loss of Drew Dabrowski will be felt as he provided strong leadership to a young team and was a steadying influence on the second midfield unit.

Juniors Brian Christopher, Mark Bryan and Austin Walker possess the talent and experience to become a dynamic trio that rivals many of the top units the Blue Jays will face this season.

Christopher scored 10 goals and added one assist last season, while Bryan added five goals and five assists and had a six-game point-scoring streak late in the season.

Walker appears ready for the breakout season many have envisioned since he arrived as he is coming off a very positive fall. His two-goal effort at Maryland last season helped the Blue Jays snap a three-game losing streak and turn the season around. His ability to take his production to the level of Christopher and Bryan will make this a dangerous group.

Freshman Tim Donovan, senior Garrett Stanwick, sophomore Max Chautin and freshmen Mike Maydick and Mark Goodrich all bring a solid skill set to the table and will be given every opportunity to find a role.

Donovan arrived in the fall in great shape, is cut in the same mold as Rabil and Peyser (big and strong) and has earned his way into the playing time discussion.

Stanwick has seen playing time in a variety of roles during his career and is likened to former Blue Jay Joe Malo, who enjoyed the finest season of his career as a senior in 2005. Pietramala is hopeful that Stanwick can follow in his footsteps.

Chautin is an excellent off-ball player and could find time on the inside in extra-man situations, while Maydick opened the eyes of the coaches in the fall and joins Donovan as the freshmen most likely to see time at midfield.

Goodrich is a skilled offensive player and has the ability to play midfield or attack. His role may involve time at both positions, something Pietramala feels he is capable of handling.

Sophomore Michael Powers saw time in six games last season and will push for more playing time at midfield while also holding down a spot in the faceoff rotation, while Zach Tedeschi and Andrew Jaffe will see time in a reserve role.

Peyser and Powers will be joined in the faceoff rotation by highly-touted freshman Matt Dolente, who impressed at the X in the fall. Peyser won 106-of-189 (.561) faceoffs last season and fueled JHU's late-season run as he won 69-of-112 (.616) during the nine-game season-ending winning streak.

Attack
Gone is Jake Byrne, who led the Blue Jays in goals (30) last season and fired home four goals in the NCAA Championship game against Duke. Still, not too many will feel bad for Pietramala and the Blue Jays, who count senior Kevin Huntley and sophomore Steven Boyle as returning starters and several others with plenty of experience.

Huntley struggled during the regular season last year, but turned up his production when it counted most as he scored five goals in the NCAA Quarterfinals against Georgetown and three more in the NCAA title game against Duke. He finished with 22 goals and nine assists last season and counts 75 career goals to his credit. His ability to take on more responsibility and operate from different spots on the field will be a key to the team's offensive success.

Boyle wasted little time making an impact last season as he tied for second on the team in scoring with 23 goals and 14 assists for 37 points. He provides a dynamic presence on attack that close followers of the program probably haven't seen since Dan Denihan closed his career in 2000. The spot vacated by Byrne is likely to be filled by several players depending on how the opposition decides to defend the Blue Jays.

Junior Tom Duerr and senior co-captain Michael Doneger are likely to see a majority of the time after the pair combined for 10 goals and two assists a year ago.

Duerr scored important goals in each of JHU's final three NCAA Tournament games last season and the Blue Jays will be looking for him to pick up where he left off.

Doneger has an uncanny ability to work in the gray area of the defense and doesn't need much time or room to operate. He is incredibly efficient as his 19 career goals have come on just 35 shots.

Goodrich may end up being the wild card on attack if he finds a permanent home here. He appeared comfortable playing down low in the preseason and could see time early.

Freshman Kyle Wharton, junior Josh Peck and sophomore Nathan Matthews all enjoyed a solid fall and could work their way into the rotation. Wharton demonstrated the ability to stretch the defense, a trait Byrne took with him. He has an exceptionally quick release and is the heir apparent to Huntley.

Peck is a hard-working player who demonstrates poise around the cage, while Matthews has shown steady improvement and could be primed for a larger role.

Goalie
Like losing a quarterback in football, there is cause for concern anytime there is a change in goal for a lacrosse team. That concern might be multiplied when the goalie being replaced owns two national championship rings and a pair of Final Four MVP awards.

The loss of Jesse Schwartzman can not be overstated as his two titles and 10-1 record in NCAA Tournament games speak for themselves.

However, Pietramala and the Blue Jays think they have a gem in sophomore Michael Gvozden, who saw limited time as a freshman last season and appears poised to make his own mark in the cage. Gvozden posted a 2.53 goals against average and a .833 save percentage in three games a year ago.

Trey Sheain, a graduate student enrolled in Hopkins' Carey School of Business, has one year of eligibility remaining after playing three years at North Carolina. Sheain played in 15 games with seven starts in three years at UNC and posted a 4-1 record with a 9.18 goals against average in 2006.

Senior Nolan Matthews played in two games and posted three saves without allowing a goal last season.

Junior Tim Everson joined the team as a walk-on in the fall and adds depth to the position.

Defense
If there is one luxury the Blue Jays have as they replace Schwartzman it's that they have arguably the top returning defensive unit in the nation. Save for the departure of long-stick middie Brendan Skakandi, who will be very difficult to replace, the Blue Jays count their three starting close defensemen and their top three short-sticks from last year among the returnees.

Co-captain Eric Zerrlaut returns for a fifth year, while senior Matt Bocklet and junior Michael Evans join him as returning starters on defense. Zerrlaut made a miraculous recovery from a torn ACL in September, 2006 to play a key role in Hopkins' defensive effort last season. His role in the Blue Jays' ever-changing defensive package is critical as he makes a majority of the calls on the field. He's the leader Pietramala covets at that end of the field.

Bocklet transferred to Hopkins prior to last season and made an immediate impact. After seeing time in various spots through the first eight games, he settled in on close defense and the results were obvious as the Blue Jay defense allowed more than a goal less per game over the final nine games than it had in the first eight. Bocklet possesses tremendous stick skills and came up with 70 ground balls a year ago - the most by a non-faceoff specialst at JHU in the last 10 years.

Evans emerged last season as one of the top defensive players in the nation and fueled Hopkins' run to the national championship by shutting down some of the top attackmen in the nation down the stretch. Cut from the same mold as former Blue Jay standout Shawn Nadelen, Evans brings an athleticism and tenacity that Pietramala loves. His ability to lock-down the opposition's top threat is a key to any success the Blue Jays might enjoy defensively.

As if returning the entire starting crew isn't enough, Pietramala can look down his depth chart and find two other players - senior Ben O'Neill and sophomore Sam DeVore - who would likely be starting on most defenses.

O'Neill has been a key member of the Blue Jays' man-down unit throughout his career and started eight games on close defense a year ago.

DeVore grew into a role as the 2007 season unfolded and played in 15 of Hopkins' 17 games a year ago. He developed nicely and teams with O'Neill to give the Blue Jays one of the deepest defenses in the nation.

Junior Will Jawish and sophomore Max Levine provide depth behind O'Neill and DeVore, while senior John Franklin suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason.

Replacing Skakandi at the pole will be no small chore, but the Blue Jays likely have the man for the job in junior Matt Drenan, who is returning to action after missing the 2007 season with a torn ACL.

Drenan started all 14 games as a freshman two years ago and led all JHU close defensemen with 32 ground balls. Quite simply, Drenan's physical abilities make him the best candidate to match the top middies the Blue Jays will face this season. It probably doesn't hurt that he gets to face the nation's top midfielder every day in practice.

Freshman Orry Michael, a very athletic young player, emerged as the fall unfolded as a player to watch behind Drenan and will likely see a growing role as the season unfolds.

Senior Val Washington has steadily improved throughout his career and could find time in a specialty role this season.

Nick Donoghue and Lorenzo Heholt are both returning from injuries and will look to play their way into a spot in the rotation, while freshman Eric DiProspero will miss the season with an injury.

Senior George Castle, junior Andrew Miller and sophomore Dave Spaulding form what may be the top rotation in the nation at short-stick defensive midfield. Dolente and sophomore Conor Cassidy will also push for time here.

Castle may have the best game-sense of any player on the team and uses his understanding of the team's defensive scheme to excel. He also demonstrated the ability to contribute in transition as he scored one goal and added two assists and nine ground balls last season.

Miller had an exceptional first full year as a short-stick defensive middie and provides the Blue Jays with a strong, athletic defender at this crucial position.